1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the production process of a baseball or softball, in particular, to a mold for shaping a baseball or softball and the shaping method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently in the construction of formal competition baseballs and softballs, the main part is the ball core and ball cover which is constructed with an inner core covered by an outer leather cover. As shown in FIG. 1, the outer cover is made from two figure of 8 shaped covers (A) which join at the seams and cover the ball core B to form the ball, and where the seams of the opposing outer covers join, they are sewn together to form a raised sewn section thus fulfilling the outward appearance requirements of a softball or baseball, this raised sewn section usually being hand-sewn which requires a high operational ability. In the current market where worker costs continue to increase, this inevitably leads to higher production costs.
Additionally, the source of leather for the leather covers is limited and the cost of leather is increasing, making it difficult to lower production costs and therefore, difficult to increase competitiveness in the market for this product.
Furthermore, during the use of the ball, where the outer covers are sewn together at the seams and cover the ball core, the ball is vulnerable to the environment, for example, when the weather is humid or rainy; moisture or water enters through these seams of the ball cover and soaks the ball core. This soaking of the ball core results in a heavier ball, leading to a loosening of the ball core and a change of shape which influences the elasticity and physical properties of the ball. There is therefore, an inability to ensure the original physical characteristics of the ball, which greatly shortens the lifespan of the ball.
For the abovementioned reasons, PU material is conveniently used as the ball cover, as in FIG. 2, more specifically, two opposing semi circular shaped mold pieces 1′, 2′ fit onto each other to form the ball cover on the ball core, this process resulting in mechanized production of the ball to reduce worker and production costs, and the PU material replacing leather to reduce material costs, and at the same time producing a tighter fitting ball which doesn't allow water to enter. But because of the shape of the semi circular shaped mold pieces, after production a line 3′ will appear where the molds join, which still requires a worker to trim the ball to achieve the required outside shape of the ball cover and therefore the manufacturing process still has minor problems.
The current method of covering the ball core with a ball cover results in the ball cover and ball core not being tight fitting and not being well integrated, and it is easy for the ball cover to separate from the ball core, thereby influencing the characteristics of the ball.